Cat Nap in Tiger Canyons by chrishpetersen

Look closely and you will see two tigers cat napping as they try to escape the summer heat in Tiger Canyons.

I strive to capture wildlife behavior. Unfortunately it was 40+C (100+F) and the behavior the tigers most preferred was sleeping through the heat of the day.

Tigers have never lived in Africa. Tiger Canyons is the only place with free ranging tigers living wild outside of India and Asia.

John Varty (JV) is a South African conservationist and filmmaker who specializes in Big Cats. He created Tiger Canyons in the Karoo of South Africa as an experiment to create a free-ranging, self-sustaining tiger population outside Asia. It is worth your time to read more: http://ift.tt/1JvT8z3
His vision is to educate others about tigers, and to be able to return future generations of tigers back to Asia.
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The Royal Red flight of the Knysna Turaco by chrishpetersen

The crimson wing feathers of the Knysna Turaco were highly valued by the chiefs of Swazi and Zulu royal families.

While the green and blue feathers of the Turaco are quite beautiful, you only see the magnificent red wings in flight.

Most bird feathers only reflect colors of light. Turaco feathers are very unique in that they contain actual pigments derived from copper and other minerals. Put a Turaco red wing feather in a glass of water and it will turn the water pink.
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The beautiful Knysna Turaco by chrishpetersen

The hidden beauty of the Knysna Turaco found only in South Africa.

It is estimated that less than 10,000 of this species remain in the wild. Most are found in the coastal forest, especially near Knysna, South Africa.

Despite their bright colors, they blend in perfectly with the high canopy where they perch … making them hard to find, and even harder to photograph!

Their bright red wings are only seen in flight … captured in the next photo post.
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Happy Thanksgiving by chrishpetersen

For all those in the USA, I hope that you had a chance to gather your “flock” to enjoy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish everyone in the US a Happy Thanksgiving … and send a special note of thanks to all for supporting my work.

No turkeys were harmed in making this photo, or used in my Thanksgiving dinner.
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All Males are from Mars, Females from Venus by chrishpetersen

Lions mate as much as 40 times per day. The two partners seem to have very different views of the need, and process.

One more time … After a brief cat nap, this pair mated for a 4th time in the hour that I observed them.

Mating frequency seems to be necessary to stimulate ovulation in the female. And while the Queen was the one who seduced the King, she seemed to have a very different view of the “required” procreation activity.

Photo title comes from the book titled: “Men are from Mars, Women from Venus”.
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Exhaustion – Cat Nap Time by chrishpetersen

This Kalahari lion pair collapses in pure exhaustion after the “rigors” of mating in the Kalahari desert heat.

I wanted to post a “conclusion” photo to the lion mating series captured on my last safari in the Kalahari.

Many have asked if they had a “quick smoke” … No, but it was but mere seconds before they collapsed into a quick cat nap in the growing heat of desert morning.
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The Happy Ending Dance … by chrishpetersen

The Lion King appears to be doing his “happy dance” after mating, while the lioness seems unimpressed by the whole affair.

The male’s “mating face” is often described as a contorted grimace. Is it a sign of agony or ecstasy? Maybe both.

In order to stimulate the female, the male has barbs on his penis which dig into the female causing her to ovulate. Hmm … who feels that the most?

While the lioness’ face often remained stoic, she was most often the one to seduce him yet again for another mating session just minutes later.
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Passion Roars across the sands of the Kalahari by chrishpetersen

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it can not begin to describe the passion and sounds of mating lions!

This is the fourth post in a series of images of this amazing lion pair. A single photo can not begin to capture the fierce intensity that lasted less than a minute. The primal sounds of passion will raise the hair on the back of your neck!

I invite you to return for the next images in this series as the mating lions saga unfolds to the final climax.
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Not Gonna Happen! by chrishpetersen

The dominant springbok ram is putting his best moves on an attractive female. You can tell by her “look” and posture this is NOT Gonna Happen!

Springbok are small antelope that roam most of southern Africa. They are opportunistic breeders, as you can see by this dominant male. If you look closely the ewe, she is still nursing a lamb. She’s not buying his advances, even if he’s the king of the Karoo.
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Last Hummer of Summer by chrishpetersen

A juvenile ruby-throated hummingbird is in search of mosquitoes to gain strength for the migration south. This one is catching bugs in midair, but everything is so fast you can’t capture it even with a fast shutter.

We associate hummingbirds with drinking nectar from flowers, but hummingbirds also need protein to survive. They catch insects in midair and eat bugs from spider webs.

These amazing little birds weighing only 0.1 oz can fledge in summer and migrate thousands of miles for winter.
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